Each Day on the Moose Tour bicycle tour

Registration Day
SATURDAY
We meet in South Paris, Maine, thirty miles on Route 26 north from exit 11 of the Maine Turnpike. Moose Tour Food

Check your bicycle, meet other riders, pitch your tent at the school and visit the local towns of South Paris and Norway. There is an interesting old jail (now a library-museum) on the historic Paris Hill, three miles distance.

Perhaps you would rather swim in Lake Pennesswassee, also three miles distance. Cool water and sandy beach await you.

Registration is from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. today.

SUNDAY
51 miles - South Paris to Freyburg
Breakfast is own your own on your way out of town.
The day’s ride first takes you to Waterford where you can swim in Bear Pond. Don’t let the name scare you. You will not be sharing the water with any of Maine's native black bears. As you swim out Moose Tour Bicycle road

, you can look back at Hawk Face which looks down on the Lake. From there it is back on the road and into the small town of Bridgeton. This is the pattern for the rest of the day - lakes, quiet roads and small towns – as you head to Fryeburg for the night.

Dinner is provided.

MONDAY
50 miles - Freyburg to Bethel
Breakfast is provided.
Leaving Fryeburg you go over the Saco River where you may have been swimming the day before. The road cuts through farmland along the valley floor. The mountains are on your left as you head toward Bethel. One of the rides best bakeries is just up the road. You will have to buy two of their éclairs or else your bike will be off balance with the weight of just one. The White Mountains are all around you at this point so there is only one thing to do, go up and over Evens Notch. Going down Evens Notch you will follow a rock bed river with cable walking bridges for hikers to cross to the other side.
Home tonight will be in the town of Bethel. Bethel is known for it ski resorts and golfing.
Dinner is provided.

TUESDAY
71 miles* - Bethel to Rangeley
Breakfast is provided.
Today is the longest day of the tour. It is a gentle ride from Bethel to Andover to get the day started. From Andover you make your way to Coos Canyon. Coos Canyon is a beautiful spot where the river has created a playground of rocks and small pools. It is such a nice spot that it inspired a marriage proposal. The road goes up for a while after leaving Coos Canyon and heads to Height of the Land. This is one of the most scenic spots in Maine. From the lookout you can see across into Canada by looking over what the Natives of this land called, Mooselookmaguntic Lake. A few more miles and you are in the town of Rangley.
Dinner is on your own in Rangley. There are several restaurants to choose from.

This is the Moose Tour’s option day?. The most common option is to ride out to Stratton to go moose watching.

Later this day Brian McLaughlin will hold a training/bike fit question and answer session. Brian McLaughlin is a USA Cycling Expert licensed cycling coach and has worked with riders that have World Championship medals and riders that enjoy multi-day tours.

Today's mileage your choice
Today is the day everyone asks for each time we camp near Rangeley. A day on your own!!!
Bike Tour Moose * Leave your tent pitched . . . Forget the Baggage truck!!!
* Sleep in, go into town for a late breakfast.
* Swim at the public beach off Main Street.
* Get up early, go moose watching or fishing.
* Loop Rides: One of our staff will lead a moose watch ride, or we will suggest several other loops to nearby small towns.
* Check the bulletin board.
* Unique shops with unusual and surprising things for everyone.
* Browsing welcome.
* Catch up, visit the local library or museum. Eat your lunch or just spin yarns with the locals.
* Go canoeing or take an airplane ride. Survey this gorgeous country from above.
Most riders by this time have seen several moose. At day's end you will wonder where the time went and you will know why Mainers and many celebrities vacation here.
Dinner is on your own.

Thursday
50 miles - Rangley to Dixfield
Breakfast is provided.
Once you are a couple of miles out of town there is a down hill that lasts for a couple of miles. Along the way down you pass the Appalachian Trail and Smalls Falls. Smalls Falls is another of nature's water playgrounds. It is a series of falls with wading pools at the bottom of each one. Then it is on your way to Dixfield but not before a stop in the small village of Weld for some more home baked goods.
The Zingo Zango Generic Jug Band performs tonight.
Dinner is provided.

FRIDAY
35 miles - Dixfield to South Paris
Camping Moose Tour Bike

Breakfast is provided.
The last day’s route passes a few places to swim on the way back to South Paris. Even though it is a short day to get you back, we are not cutting short the scenery. Time to load up the car and prepare for the trip home.